The latest Jay Bruce MLB and fantasy baseball news

Fantasy Tip: It's unclear how serious Bruce's calf injury is, but the Reds are likely practicing caution here with their slugger. A 2014 season in which Bruce only hit 18 long balls will present you with a buying opportunity in 2015. He has managed to hit at least 21 home runs in every other season of his career, and he reached the 30-homer mark in three of the previous seasons before 2014. Bruce is a safe bet to return to 20 homers (and possibly 30?), and you can snag him in the early middle rounds.

Cincinnati Reds OF Jay Bruce (knee) said his knee is 100% healthy and is a non-issue this spring. Bruce had surgery on a torn meniscus in his knee last May and missed only two weeks after surgery, but he hit a career-low .217 and had a career-low 18 home runs in 2014. Bruce said he started training three weeks earlier this offseason to prepare for the 2015 season.

Fantasy Tip: Because of Bruce's disappointing, injury-riddled 2014 season, expect many fantasy baseball drafters to ignore him completely. We know the power is for real and was likely directly affected by his knee ailment. That presents you with an excellent buying opportunity in Bruce this season as a safe power source likely to rebound.